In Love With the Paparazzi
by turboman
Summary: Troy is a paparazzo and Sharpay is a talented broadway actress. She just got a part in a big movie.Gabriella lives with Troy. Ryan is Sharpay's manager. Summary inside.
1. F Stop Blues

Chapter 1: F-Stop Blues

_A/N: Sup everyone, this is my second fic so hopefully my writing has improved. It's set about 6 years in the future. Troy is a freelance photographer that takes pictures of famous people. In other words he is a paparazzo. His next assignment is a talented broadway actress who has just won the part in a big movie that is coming up. Gabriella lives with Troy in a semi-platonic relationship. Ryan is Sharpay's manager. Troypay and Ryella_ ._Anyway please read and review._

A door slammed as a man in his early twenties huffed out of an apartment complex, anger written across his face. He had just stomped out of his boss' office after he had received a thorough talking to. The truth was, his work had been slipping the past couple of weeks and he was extremely close to being fired. After he left the office and slammed the door, he instantly regretted it. So before he could be called back he quickly ran out of the building and down to his car so he could get home as soon as possible. The drive home through rush hour traffic was not very exciting; two freeway crashes, a stalled car and the sun in your eyes all added to the headache that had reached migraine level. The silence in the car allowed him to recall the entire ordeal word for word.

_Earlier that afternoon_

"You wanted to see me boss?" Troy stuck his head through the door into the well appointed office. A middle aged man with aviator sunglasses and a business suit on swiveled in his chair to greet his employee.

"Troy, just the man I wanted to talk to." A grin broke onto the man's face, his forehead wrinkling up with the facial movement. Troy strode over to him and shook his hand firmly before taking a seat across from him.

"So Al what did you want to see me about?" He got straight to business, wondering what was so important that he would have to talk to him. Al shuffled some papers on his desk and clicked something off on his computer before finally looking up at Troy.

"Have I ever told you that you were one of my favorite photographers?"

"No, I don't think you ever said that to me." Troy was confused about this rather odd way to start a conversation.

"Well you were until last week when you gave me these pictures." He turned the stack of photos so that Troy could look at them.

"What's so bad about these?" Troy asked while flipping through various pictures. Al frowned at him before taking the stack back.

"We're in the celebrity business. We get paid big money from big name magazines to get candid shots of these celebs. So why are you taking pictures of these nobody people or of birds in trees or clouds?" His voice was steadily rising as was he out of his seat. He finished his tirade by picking up the stack of photos and throwing them in the trash.

"Look kid, you're a great photographer and you've had some pretty hot selling photos in the past. But if you want to stay in this business you can't just take random pictures." Al sat back down and dabbed at his forehead with a napkin.

"That wasn't all my fault. The info guy was wrong and Paris didn't even show up there. My phone was dead so I couldn't get an update on her position. So I got bored and took pictures of anything."

"I don't need excuses. This isn't the first time that this happened you know. A couple of months ago you pulled the same thing. And a lot of your shots are mediocre. You can't even tell who the hell it is in some of these. I need good, quality shots of real celebrities all of the time." He sighed as he was running out of steam. Troy just sat there sullenly as he was picked apart by Al.

"Look, I really like you kid. You got potential. So I'm giving you a chance to get back on my good graces. There's this Broadway singer, Shari Evans. She just got the lead part in a big movie and is moving out here to L.A. to try to get her foot in the door to a movie career. She's flying in tomorrow afternoon and I want you to get pictures of her." Troy nodded as each piece of information sunk in.

"In fact, she's your next assignment. For the duration of the shooting of this movie I want you to get the exclusive shots. On the set, at home, in the clubs, some random alley, the bathroom. I want all of your pictures about her. No more ponies ok? Now get out of here." Al finished with a wave of his hand, not even allowing Troy to get a word in edgewise.

Just as the story finished replaying in his head, he pulled into his apartment complex that was across town. He parked his Integra in his stall and locked it up before trudging up the stairs. There wasn't really a point to locking that car. It was L.A., carjacking city and he drove the number one most stolen car. He fumbled for his keys in his pocket before fishing it out and clicking the lock. He pushed the door open and stepped into the small one bedroom apartment. He looked through the mail that was left on the counter finding just bills. Troy called out to his roommate while reaching into the refrigerator to grab a beer.

"Hey Gabi I'm home." He popped open the tab and quickly downed the drink. Gabriella appeared from the bedroom wearing a cotton robe.

"Hey, I just got out of the shower. How was work?" She turned to go back into the bedroom to go change. Troy followed her in and recounted his awful afternoon while watching her change. It wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. They had gone out for a few years and had even moved in together but in the end they decided to just be friends. The only reason they still lived together was because they couldn't afford to live apart. Troy's paychecks were sporadic, simply from the nature of his job. All of Gabriella's money was invested in her small café that she owned.

"So I have to go to the airport and take pictures of some chick. I don't even know what she looks like! My boss wasn't so clear on those details." Troy was ranting on while Gabi just pretended to listen to him. She didn't notice that he had stopped speaking though so when Troy waved his hand in front of her face it startled her.

"Are you even listening to me?" He asked her, getting a tick in his eyebrow.

"Of course. Your boss treats you like crap and you hat this job. You wish you could make movies instead of take pictures of people in movies. I've heard it a thousand times." She turned to him and put her arms around his neck as she kissed him softly before drawing him in for a hug.

"I know you hate it but we need the money. Until I pay off all of my loans for the café, we're living entirely on what you make." She broke the embrace and walked into the kitchenette.

"What do you want for dinner?" She rummaged through the fridge and groaned. Troy walked up beside her about to say something before she popped up, Tupperware in hand.

"Never mind, we're eating leftovers." Troy groaned as well as she popped it into the microwave.

_Meanwhile, across the country_

Cheers and congratulations were shouted in a private room of an upscale restaurant. The entire cast of the Broadway musical, "The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", had rented out the room to congratulate one of their own. Shari Evans was leaving on a plane tonight to L.A. The reason she was leaving was because she had just gotten the starring role in a big Hollywood production. The guest of honor was wrapping up the evening with a thank you speech.

"I want to thank you all for the spectacular evening. What a surprise party!" She smiled at the memory of being brought in blindfolded by her brother, Riley, and the screaming of 'surprise!' when the blindfold was removed.

"Anyway thank you again, I will miss all of you but I have to leave now." A collective 'aww' went out through the room as she went toward the door.

"Bye guys!" She waved one final time before walking out the door. Riley was waiting for her with a cab, door held open. He gestured for her to hurry up and she quickly crossed the sidewalk to the open door and stepped in, smiling at him before she ducked her head. Riley followed and closed the door.

"To the airport please." Riley directed the cab driver. There luggage was already packed into the trunk.

"I can't believe I'm actually leaving for Hollywood Ryan!" She was practically hopping in her seat in anticipation.

"Shar, how much did you have to drink tonight?" He raised an eyebrow at her inquisitively.

"Just one. I'm just really excited. I'm gonna be a movie star!" She squealed again, the giddiness overtaking her.

"Sharpay, calm down. You're distracting the driver." He scolded her and she fell silent, pouting. The rest of the drive was quiet, save for the occasional car horn. When they arrived at the airport Ryan helped Sharpay out of the cab as the driver went to the trunk to unload the luggage. Ryan thanked the man and paid him before turning to go into the airport. They went through security without a problem and boarded their plane to Los Angeles.

_A/N: How's that for a first chapter. I have a good feeling about this story but that is entirely up to you. Hate it or love it, please review._


	2. Californication

Chapter 2: Californication

_A/N: Reviews are great! Keep them coming. Ok, down to business. My OC, Doug, makes an appearance in this chapter. He will continue to be in the story mostly for comic relief. I need suggestions for names and a plot for the movie Sharpay is in. Updates will be sporadic but more reviews may change that._

Troy sped down the freeway in an effort to get to the airport. He was running late after being held up down at the office. His boss had called him in early that morning with an official scoop that supposedly no one else knew about. Apparently, Lindsay Lohan was going to be seen on Rodeo Drive that morning. She was going to be shopping most of the day along with some of her other friends. Exclusive photos were a must and Troy was being sent in along with a couple of other photographers that worked for the firm. One of them was his good friend Doug who he had met in film and photography school. They both attended UC Berkley and were roommates for a few semesters until Troy bought a place with Gabriella. They both got the call at 7:00 in the morning and met up at a Wendy's to go over there battle plan.

"So you stay with the car and follow behind if she starts to make a run for it. I'm going to follow her on foot, try to get a reaction out of her." Troy explained to his fellow paparazzo. Doug nodded as he slurped on his frosty, trying to get his head in the game. They were both going to drive down to Rodeo Drive in separate cars and try to get some good photos of the elusive actress. Doug had suggested he stay waiting in a nearby car if she took off suddenly so that they could follow her to wherever she was going. Agreeing on the plan of action, they left separately and drove to the famous shopping district. Doug parked his MR2 in a street side parking stall, putting a few coins into the meter. Troy parked in a nearby parking lot for one of the stores. He got out and walked casually to a coffee shop where he ordered a coffee and took a seat outside. From his vantage point he could see many of the big name stores that she would possibly shop at as well as Doug, who waved at him from his car.

He didn't have to wait long as a group of women led around by a group of large men made their way into the store right across the street. Troy pulled his camera out of his shoulder bag and began to take pictures of the celebrity through the windows. Shots of her trying on clothes and laughing with her friends were standard fare and he burned through nearly 40 shots just in that first store. He noticed that Doug was also taking pictures from his car, allowing a different angle into the store as well as a closer proximity. Troy decided that he needed to get Lindsay to do something so that he could get a better shot. He left the coffee shop, throwing away his half finished cup of coffee as he walked briskly across the street. His target was just leaving the store, her bodyguards carrying numerous bags as he took his camera out and started to take pictures up close.

A small crowd started to gather as Troy was joined by other rival photographers. Lindsay's bodyguards rushed her into another store as the paparazzi were not allowed to follow. This went on for a few more shops until Lindsay was fed up and threw a bag of clothing at Troy. A blouse ended up on his camera lens as her bodyguards ushered her into a waiting car. Seeing what was happening, Doug started his car and pulled out to pick Troy up. He jumped into the convertible as it drove past, Lindsay's Mercedes pulling away quickly.

"I got a shot of her throwing that bag at you man, that was awesome." Doug congratulated his friend's acting. The silver car that they were in pursuit of pulled a quick right turn onto a crowded street. Doug pulled up alongside it while Troy took pictures. When the light turned green, the driver of the sports car nailed the gas to the floor and took off into the distance.

"Don't just stare at them, catch up!" Troy yelled to his companion.

"Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on." Doug shifted into gear and went into pursuit. Following the car all day was not in the plan but that's what happened. They were lead on a wild goose chase around town until they pulled into a gated community. Unable to follow, the pair reluctantly gave up the pursuit. Glancing at the in-dash clock, Troy noticed that it was already 4:15 and the airport was clear across the city. Groaning, they rushed back to Rodeo Drive where Troy's car was parked. Saying goodbye to his friend, he sped off to the airport, dialing his informant's cell phone number.

"Hello, hello!" The voice on the other line said.

"Hey, Jimmy. It's Troy what's the update on my next assignment?" Troy cut straight to the chase.

"Shari Evans right? Well she flies in this afternoon on United Airlines. 5:00 is the projected landing time. Did you know that that isn't her real name? Turns out her real name is Sharpay. Talk about weird name." Troy nearly dropped his phone at the mention of Sharpay's name.

"Wait a minute. Did you say Sharpay?" Troy collected his thoughts as he pulled his car straight; her name had also caused him to swerve into another lane.

"Yeah, Sharpay Evans. Blonde hair, brown eyes, great a--."

"Jimmy quit playing around." Troy interrupted before he could finish the sentence.

"What, you know her?" Jimmy was mildly amused by Troy's mumbling.

"Yeah from high school. Look Jimmy, thanks man. I'll talk to you later." Troy hung up his phone as he pulled into the airport parking lot. He parked his car and started sprinting to the baggage claim. A quick glance to his watch told him it was already 5:15.

"Damn it all." He cursed as he ran. Not watching where he was going, he ran into a woman. Her bag had fallen and he began apologizing. He looked up at her and saw…

_Earlier at 30,000 feet_

A light tapping on her shoulder soon turned into a full shake as Ryan roused his sister from her nap. Sharpay's eyes slowly opened and tried to adjust to the dim lighting, a dull roar could be heard in the background. Ryan's face was smiling back at her when she turned around, a yawn escaping her before she could say anything.

"Hey sleepyhead, we're almost there." Sharpay realized then that she was on an airplane on her way to Los Angeles. The flight attendant walked by just then and offered a moist towel for her to wipe her face. She gladly accepted and wiped the sleep out of her eyes, letting the heat from the towel seep into her face and wake her completely.

"Did you want some coffee maam?" The flight attendant had returned with a coffee pot and several Styrofoam cups.

"Thanks, yes I would like a cup." Sharpay was glad that they had splurged and upgraded to first class. There was no way she was ever flying coach again, ever. To her side Ryan was busy flipping through some papers, an itinerary of sorts.

"So what are we doing when we get there?" Sharpay asked when she was ready for a conversation.

"Well we land at 5:00 and we have like a thirty minute drive to our condo. We don't have anything planned for tonight but I guess you might want to catch up on your sleep." Sharpay opened the window shade a crack and looked out to the land below. The sudden light that came streaming in caught her off guard and she blinked several times before looking out again still squinting. A few of the other passengers in first class started to glare at her so she quickly shut the window; there wasn't anything outside anyway.

"I guess a good night's sleep wouldn't hurt. Anything else?"

"Nope. Oh, we're going to meet the director and some of the cast and Friday for lunch." As Sharpay's manager, Ryan had to stay on top of all of her appointments and other obligations.

"I'm sure that'll be a blast." She muttered, rolling her eyes at the thought of having to deal with 'Hollywood' people. On her, the attitude worked. On other people, it annoyed her to no end. A crackling was heard throughout the cabin as the speakers came to life.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking. We are about to begin our final descent into Los Angeles airport so I would like to ask that all seat backs and tray-tables be put in their full upright and locked positions. I'd also like to ask that all electronic devices be turned off at this time. Thank you for flying with us today and have a pleasant stay." The speakers cut off with a click and numerous passengers went about to comply with the request.

The rest of the flight was uneventful as the plane landed safely and ten minutes earlier than expected; there was a tail wind. Ryan and Sharpay walked off of the plane behind the other passengers, following them down to the baggage carousels to pick up their luggage. Sharpay called a cab while she left Ryan to pick up all of their bags. Sharpay picked up her purse and walked outside to wait for the cab, leaving Ryan to bring all of the bags outside to the curb. While Ryan was busy searching for all of their bags, Sharpay was standing on the side of the curb. Just then a man running by bumped into her and knocked her bag off of her shoulder. He quickly bent down to retrieve the bag, apologizing profusely.

"I am so sorry about that. I didn't see you there. Are you ok?" The man blabbed on at a million miles a minute as Sharpay took her bag back from the man.

"It's ok, I'm not hurt. Just what are you…" She broke off the sentence as she realized who she was talking to.

"…doing here Troy Bolton!" She broke into a grin and gave her old high school friend a hug. Taken by surprise, Troy didn't return the hug for a few seconds. She pulled away from him to look at his face again.

"Wow! Imagine running into you here after all these years!" Sharpay had gone from angry at some complete stranger to absolutely giddy in no time flat.

"Umm, I was just here to pick someone up, what about you?" Troy had hesitated slightly, trying to find a reason why he was there. He was still sort of telling the truth.

"I just flew in from New York. I'm moving into a condo downtown. What about you? Do you live here?"

"Yeah…just an apartment on the other side of town." Ryan took this moment to walk up and found her sister talking to Troy.

"Hey Troy, it's been a long time." Ryan greeted Troy with a firm handshake. Internally, Troy was kicking himself in the head because he had left his camera in Doug's car and his photo ops were ruined. Suddenly an idea popped into his head.

"Hey listen guys, I'm running a little late and I gotta run. Why don't I take you out to dinner tonight? We can catch up and everything." Troy finished his act with a smile.

"Sure, that sounds nice. We didn't really have anything planned for tonight so why not?" Sharpay answered with a smile as well.

"Great! I'll uh…call you later?" Troy stumbled for a way to seal the deal. Ryan noticed and took out a piece of paper and pen. Quickly scribbling down some information, he handed the slip to Troy without a second thought.

"Great, I'll see you later." Troy said as he jogged away. When he was sure they couldn't see him, he pulled out the paper and looked at it again.

"Score!"

_A/N: That was probably the longest chapter I've ever written. Not much happened but things are heating up. Anyway please review if you want this story out faster. Oh one more thing. Not that I'm a perv or a pedophile but I've been wondering how old the fans of HSM are. I'm a 19 yr old male so I'm sure I'm a minority. Peace out brah.  
_


	3. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

Chapter 3: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

_A/N: Thank you to all of the reviewers. I didn't really expect that many reviews or that you would actually answer my odd question. Anyway this chapter might seem a little rushed but I had to put it up. I might rewrite it later._

An audible click was heard as Troy shut his cell phone, having just talked to Sharpay and arranging a meeting time. He casually went to the bathroom and began to take a shower, he was in no rush. They had decided that Troy would pick them up from their condo at 8:00. Gabriella would not be joining them because she had to work late at the café. Doug saved Troy a trip by bringing his camera to his apartment and subsequently inviting himself to dinner. Troy made some macaroni and cheese and ate in front of the TV. During their small dinner, Doug broke the silence by asking how the 'meeting' went.

"So how exactly were you going to get pictures of her without your camera?" Troy glared at his friend from his bowl of macaroni; not caring to answer the question.

"Ok. So you went to school with her. Isn't she going to find it odd that you're taking a billion pictures of her?" Troy looked up at that, mouth full at the moment. He swallowed before speaking.

"I didn't really think about that. I guess since I know her it won't be hard getting all those candid shots. Only problem is if she picks up a magazine and finds out who is taking the pictures." Troy stood up and went to the sink to clean his bowl. Doug followed him into the kitchen and put his bowl in the sink to be cleaned. He went to the fridge and pulled a couple of beers out. Leaving one on the counter, he popped one open and took a swig before continuing the conversation.

"She won't know. At least, she doesn't have to know. Just don't take pictures of her when she's looking." Troy finished up the cleaning and opened the beer that Doug had brought out for him.

"I guess. And since I'm 'friends' with her I can get in closer and she won't suspect a thing."

"Now you're thinking like paparazzi." Doug raised his bottle in a mock salute before turning to go back to the couch.

"Just think of it as you being a spy and you have to get top secret photos of her. Like James Bond." Troy laughed at his friend's joke and went into his bedroom to change.

"I'm gonna pick her up at 8:00. Take her for a night on the town and catch up. Hopefully Ryan won't stick around and I won't have to deal with him." Troy talked loudly so that Doug could here him from the other room. Troy came out of the room dressed casually in jeans and a button down shirt.

"Dude, is this like a date?" Doug asked when he saw his friend's better than average attire.

"No, it's a casual get together with some old friends." Troy walked over to the door to gather his keys and his wallet.

"Are you gonna stay here all night? Don't you have your own place?" Troy gestured for Doug to get up and leave.

"I might as well move in with you too, since I'm over here so much." Doug muttered as he grabbed a bag of chips from the coffee table and went to the door. The truth was Doug did spend a lot of his time at Troy's apartment. Troy opened the door for him and followed him out; locking the door before leaving.

"See you later then man. Give her a few drinks to loosen her up. Then she might do something…crazy." Doug winked at him suggestively to which Troy rolled his eyes and followed him down the stairs to the parking lot.

"Yeah, great idea." Troy laughed sarcastically. "Now get lost." He shooed his friend away before climbing into his own car and driving away. He pulled out the slip of paper that Ryan had given him with their address written beneath the phone numbers. Troy drove down the dark streets across the city to the upscale district where their condo was located. Thirty minutes later, he arrived at the condominium parking lot and parked in the guest parking area. He walked in through the glass doors and was stopped by a security guard. The large man stared him down from behind his desk as Troy looked around the nicely appointed lobby.

"What is your business sir?" The man startled Troy since he had not noticed the security guard.

"Umm, I'm here to see Shari Evans?" He remembered to use her alias at the last second. She had explained to him that she went by that name now that she was 'in the big time'.

"715." Larry the security guard muttered as Troy began to walk to the elevators, saying a thank you as he left. When he reached the seventh floor, he turned right and walked down the hallway. He found room 715 soon enough and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Sharpay opened the door and stepped outside. She closed the door behind her and began to walk down the hallway. Troy was left staring at the door, unsure of what had happened.

"Isn't Ryan coming?" He managed to say as he turned to follow her to the elevators.

"He's asleep. I don't think he would mind missing this one out." She smiled at him before entering the elevator that had just arrived. Following her in, the doors shut when she pushed the 'L' button and they began to descend.

"So, uhh, you wanna go grab a coffee?" Troy became abnormally shy around her as he admired how much she had changed. In the six years since he had last seen her, she had grown up a lot, personality wise and her body. She was drop dead gorgeous now and Troy couldn't help but be slightly intimidated by her presence. Sharpay noticed the uncertainty in his voice and smiled to herself.

"That sounds great, where are we going?" The elevator opened then and Troy held the door open for her as he followed her out of the building.

"How about we go to Gabi's café? They make a great cappuccino." He opened the door to his car for her and walked back around before getting in himself. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove into town to Gabi's café. That just so happened to be the name of her business. They walked into the small shop and got a small table next to the window. Soon, a young girl came up to them and asked for their order.

"Hey, Gina go tell Gabi that I'm here." Troy gave her a smile and she went off to find the owner. Troy was a regular and knew all of the servers that worked there. Gabriella came out from behind the counter and noticed who was sitting with Troy.

"Oh my goodness, Sharpay is that you?" She smiled brightly and ran up to her to give her a hug. Sharpay got up and returned the hug wholeheartedly. They had become good friends during their senior year in high school but lost touch when they went to different universities.

"Hey Gabi, how have you been?" Sharpay held her at arms length and looked at her friend.

"I've been good. What about you? What are you doing here?" Gabi asked her excitedly.

"Mostly business. I'm thinking of moving here actually." Just then one of the new servers had dropped a glass at a nearby table, spilling everything on the floor.

"Well I have to get back to work. I'm sure Troy will catch me up on everything. It is so great to see you!" Gabi went back behind the counter and grabbed a mop to help clean the mess. Sharpay turned to Troy and raised an eyebrow at him.

"We're living together so I guess she'll ask me everything when she gets home." Sharpay grabbed his left hand and held it up so that she could see it.

"We're not married. In fact we're just friends now. She lives with me because we can't afford to live alone." Sharpay put his hand down, embarrassed that she had made that assumption.

"So if Gabi works here, what do you do for a living?" Their drinks arrived just then and they thanked Gina before she went back for another order. Thinking fast, Troy decided not to lie to her.

"I'm a photographer." He left the answer open to interpretation and didn't go into specifics about what kind of photographer he was. The conversation went on in much the same manner for much of the evening. After catching up on all the latest details on each other's lives, they decided to head home and call it a night. Troy drove her home in a comfortable silence. Inside, he was smiling gleefully. He had caught up with her on her life as well as secretly take photos of her while she wasn't looking. Hopefully his boss would like them and he would be able to make some money. As long as she didn't find out about the pictures, it was safe to say that he was going to get away with it. He arrived at her building and he walked her up to her condo. After saying their goodbyes, they hugged and Troy turned to walk down the hall. Just as she was going to close the door, Troy stopped and called back to her.

"Do you want to meet up tomorrow or something? Gabi has the day off and I'm sure she wants to talk to you." Troy walked back to her door as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Sure. Ryan would probably want to come too."

"Great, I'll call you tomorrow then." Sharpay moved in and kissed him on the cheek before turning and closing the door. Troy stood there, staring at the door again with a million thoughts running through his head.

"Goodnight." He finally said to the door.

_A/N: Things are moving along smoothly if i do say so myself. I'm not to sure when the next update will be up. That all depends on how many reviews I get. I still need suggestions for a movie that Sharpay would be in. I have an idea but I want to hear from you. Please? Peace out._


	4. It's a Long Way to the Top

Chapter 4: It's a Long Way to the Top

_A/N: Ok first I want to thank all of the reviewers. It's good to know that you all like my story. Second, I want to apologize for the wait. I actually meant to put this up Sunday morning but I got lazy. I went to the beach instead but at least it was awesome. This chapter was rewritten twice before I finally got it the way I wanted it._

That morning, Sharpay and Ryan were going to eat breakfast in town with Troy and Gabriella. They went to a restaurant in La Brea, called Toast. Many celebrities go there to eat breakfast on weekends so Troy thought that they could possibly run into a few. They go to the restaurant early so that they could get in line for a table, the place was packed and it was only 8:30. While waiting in line, Troy continued the conversation that they were having the night before. Meanwhile Gabriella was flirting with Ryan though he was unaware that she was flirting. Troy had told Gabriella the night before, when she had gotten off of work, about Ryan and Sharpay. He also told her that Sharpay was his assignment and that he had to take pictures of her.

_Flashback_

"So Al tells me that I have to take pictures of Shari Evans but then I find out from Jimmy that Shari is actually Sharpay." Troy explained to Gabriella.

"What are you gonna do?" She asked him, yawning loudly before laying down on her bed. Troy got into the bed next to her and sat up against the headboard.

"I guess I have to take the pictures but not let her know about it. If I don't, I'll lose my job and we won't be able to live here anymore." He slid under the covers and turned off the lights, plunging the room into darkness. A few minutes were spent as the two of them tossed and turned in the bed, trying to get comfortable. _Not like that sickos_. After lying still for a few more minutes, Troy spoke again.

"Gabi, are you asleep?"

"Yes." Gabi turned over so that she was facing away from him and pretended to snore.

"We're going out tomorrow for breakfast." Troy turned over as well and faced in the opposite direction.

"With Ryan and Sharpay so dress nice." Troy fell asleep not long after that. Gabi's eyes popped open at the mention of Ryan's name. She drifted off to sleep, thinking about Ryan in her dreams.

_End Flashback_

Troy arrived at Sharpay and Ryan's condo at 7:15; going upstairs to get them while Gabriella continued to sleep in the car. Luckily today was her day off so that she could relax while her assistant manager looked after her shop.

"Knock, knock." Troy called into the door as he rapped his knuckles against the doorframe. Ryan casually opened the door and greeted Troy with a handshake before inviting him in.

"Shar's not ready. She just woke up and is running through the shower right now." Ryan explained as he sat on the couch and clicked the TV on. Troy took a seat in a chair next to Ryan and stared off into space. Suddenly, Sharpay appeared clad only in a towel calling for Ryan.

"Ryan, where are those shoes, you know the one with the…" She stopped herself as she saw Troy Bolton sitting in her living room staring at her. Quickly noticing that she was only wearing a towel, she ducked back into the hallway.

"Uhh, Ryan can you come here. RIGHT NOW!" She yelled at her brother as Ryan shot up off of the couch as if it were on fire. When he crossed into the hallway, Sharpay grabbed him by the neck and pulled him down the hall after her. She went into her room and shut the door, whirling on Ryan in the blink of an eye.

"Why is Troy in our living room and why didn't you warn me?" She wasn't really mad at him as much as she was embarrassed. Ryan stammered for a few seconds, his eyes darting around the room.

"Look there's your shoes!" He pointed at the corner where her shoes were sitting while inching toward the door.

Meanwhile outside, Troy checked his tiny digital camera and smirked at the pictures he had just taken. Four shots, in perfect succession of Sharpay appearing in the living room in her towel before running back into the hallway. Her facial expressions changed from each shot and ended with her looking completely mortified. Chuckling to himself, he pocketed the camera and got up from his chair.

"I need a raise Al." He spoke to himself before coming to Sharpay's closed door and knocking.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, just fine Troy. Could you just give me a sec? I'm getting dressed." Sharpay answered through the door. Troy shrugged and walked back to the living room, followed shortly by Ryan as Sharpay kicked him out of her room. Ten minutes later Sharpay appeared from her inner sanctum and stopped in front of the TV. Clicking it off, Ryan and Troy stood and followed her out of the condo. After taking the elevator down, they walked out of the building to Troy's car. Gabriella was still asleep in the backseat but woke with a start when the doors opened. She rubbed her eyes as Ryan got into the backseat with her. Sharpay took the front seat since she wanted to use the mirror to do her makeup. They drove to the restaurant in silence, at least Sharpay and Troy didn't say anything. Gabi and Ryan were busy making small talk in the backseat, catching up on every little thing. The line at the restaurant wasn't to long so they were able to get a seat fairly quickly. Breakfast went on without incident, except for Gabriella frequently distracting Ryan and Sharpay while Troy took pictures of her. He felt bad about taking the pictures but it needed to be done and that if she never found out, it wouldn't hurt her.

They left the restaurant and decided to go street shopping. Gabriella and Sharpay were having a field day in all of the high end stores, snapping up clothing, shoes, and bags while Troy and Ryan were made to carry everything.

"Do you really need all of this stuff?" Ryan asked from behind several shoeboxes that were stacked in his arms. Troy was in a similar situation, bags of clothing on both arms and half eaten cookie in his mouth.

"Of course! I need a new wardrobe now that I live in California." Sharpay answered while handing him another bag. Gabriella was also on a shopping spree since Sharpay had offered to pay for it. The only catch was that she could borrow it if she wanted.

"You would never know she was a movie star." Troy said to himself sarcastically. He was still shooting with his palm-sized camera, pausing only to change the memory sticks.

Finally, after 3 hours of shopping, the girls' shopping bug had been satiated and Troy and Ryan were allowed to rest. They dropped off their purchases in Troy's car and walked to a nearby park. Having skipped lunch, Gabriella and Ryan walked off to a nearby hot dog stand to buy some food while Troy and Sharpay talked under the shade of a tree.

"I hope I didn't offend you when I came to your place this morning." Troy said referring to the 'towel' incident.

"Don't worry about it. We're adults so we've both seen the opposite sex naked before." She shrugged his apology off, never giving it a second thought. Troy smiled at her and she smiled back at him. Just looking at her, sitting under the tree with the sun and the wind playing through her hair, he had the sudden urge to kiss her. She must have felt the same thing as she slowly leaned toward his face, her eyes fluttering closed as she got closer. Troy followed her lead as he brought his lips to hers in a soft, gentle kiss. She could feel the heat in her face as she flushed with desire, moaning into the kiss as it got more sensual. They broke apart only for air as they continued to kiss while sitting under the tree. They were interrupted after ten minutes when Ryan and Gabriella returned. Handing the food to Troy and Sharpay, Ryan pulled a newspaper out from under his arm and showed it to his sister.

"I think you'd better look at this." Sharpay took the paper from his hands and gasped at what she saw on the front page. It was a picture of her getting out of Troy's car last night when they went to Gabi's café. The heading above it said, "Rising Star Spotted! We have the first official pictures". She couldn't believe how fast word got around!

"How did they get this picture!" She asked, reading further into the article.

"Wow, I guess you're really famous now." Troy was reading the paper from over her shoulder.

"News gets around fast here doesn't it?" Gabriella looked pointedly at Troy as he wiped some sweat from his brow.

"I have to put this on the fridge!" Sharpay jumped up and down excitedly, happy to have made the front page of something.

"I think some celebrations are in order." Ryan said, clinking his hot dog with Sharpay's and taking a bite.

_A/N: Next chapter will be up tomorrow. Please leave a review. I still need suggestions for the movie Sharpay is in. Peace out._


	5. 40 Ounces to Freedom

Intermission: 40 Ounces to Freedom

_A/N: This is just an intermission in the story, linking two parts of the story together. The real chapter will be up tomorrow I think so this should tide you over until then._

Laughter could be heard from within the living room as Troy fumbled with his keys. Finally finding the right key, he put it into the lock. He soon discovered that his door was unlocked and quietly pushed the door open. Picking up his big stick, he brandished it above his head as he crept into the living room.

"I'd put that down if I were you." Troy spoke firmly to his intruder, making a menacing pose with stick in hand.

"Aww, you're no fun. I was just playing catch, man." Doug set the vase that he had been throwing onto the coffee table. Troy rolled his eyes and put the stick back in its place. Troy walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge and pulled a beer out.

"Hey Doug, you want a beer?" He called to his friend on the couch.

"Yeah, thanks man." He looked up from the TV, expecting a bottle to fly into his arms.

"Get it yourself." Troy deadpanned as he cracked the bottle open and took a long swig. Doug gave him a pout and started to whine.

"Fine, here." He opened the fridge again and threw the bottle across the room, hitting Doug in the chest. The air rushed out of his chest in a 'whoosh' as Doug doubled over, coughing and wheezing from the force of the blow. Gabi walked into the apartment at that moment, rushing over to Doug to help him up from the ground.

"Troy, you know he can't catch when he's drunk." She scolded him as she propped Doug back up on the couch. She then picked the beer up off the ground and drank it herself, leaving Doug on the couch to whine again.

"I thought we took your key away." Troy sat down on the couch and leaned back to stare at the ceiling.

"I made copies." Doug took the drink out of Troy's hand and put the bottle to his lips, only to discover that it was empty.

"Gabi just drank the last one if you're wondering." When Troy said this Doug nearly cried as he sank into the couch.

"You need to cut back anyway. From the smell, I'd say you had enough for today." The alcohol in his breath could be smelled whenever he spoke.

"Fine, I'll just drive home then." Doug got up from the couch, still sulking. Troy grabbed his arm and forced him back onto the couch, which wasn't difficult in his state of inebriation.

"You're staying right here. You can sleep over for tonight because I don't want you driving." Troy went to get a blanket from the closet and placed it on the floor next to the couch.

"We're going out for drinks in twenty minutes so I don't want you doing anything stupid while we're out." Troy spoke to him as if he were a child.

"Ryan and Sharpay are joining us. Remember them? Yeah they're coming over pretty soon and we're going to walk down the street to the bar. If you need anything, just remember we're right down the street." Troy watched as his friend pouted in his seat. It seems alcohol makes him act like an eight year old.

"I want to go too." He stomped his foot for emphasis. Troy sighed and went into his bedroom. Gabriella came out of the shower and Troy went in to take his shower. A knock on the door brought Gabriella over, clad only in her robe. She opened the door to allow Sharpay and Ryan to step into their small apartment.

"Where's Troy?" The first words spoken and Sharpay was already looking for Troy.

"He's in the shower right now. Why don't you guys make yourselves comfortable while we get ready?" She then disappeared into her room to go put some clothes on. Meanwhile, the twins moved into the couch and took a seat next to Doug.

"So you must be Doug, Troy's friend from college right?" Sharpay asked him as she took a seat next to him. Ryan walked around the apartment, taking note of its hominess.

"Hey baby, how you doin'?" Doug moved over closer to Sharpay as he put his arm around her shoulder. She just laughed at his attempts and played along with him. Troy had warned her earlier about how Doug got when he was drunk.

"He's pretty harmless and won't really do much except act like a kid and laugh at anything. But don't pet him, he bites." Sharpay giggled again at the memory of Troy's half-hearted warning.

"Knock it off Doug. Troy could come out any minute." Sharpay joked with him.

"Forget Troy. You know him and Gabriella are still 'whoo' even though they're 'just friends'." He thrust his hips up at that point and continued to make a 'whoo' noise. Sharpay frowned at this revelation and got up off the couch, causing Doug to topple over face first into the ground.

"To much information." She said as she sat on a stool in the dining area. Ryan and Gabriella soon appeared from the bedroom, looking a bit disheveled. Ryan's hari was mussed and he had a smear of lipstick on his cheek. Gabriella's shirt was wrinkled and her hair was tousled. Sharpay gasped at the sight of them but didn't say anything. Soon Troy emerged from the shower and quickly got dressed.

"Did I miss anything?" He asked as he tried to button the last button on his shirt. Sharpay walked up to him and took the button in her hand, quickly buttoning his shirt and placing her lips against his. Troy deepened the kiss as Ryan, Gabriella, and Doug watched them. After Ryan cleared his throat, the two broke apart and turned to face the others.

"So, we ready to go?" Troy broke the silence as he made his way to the door with Sharpay in tow. Still not speaking, Ryan and Gabriella followed them out the door.

"Bring me back a drink!" Doug called to them as they left.

_A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed and left suggestions for moives. I'm not sure what I'll use or even if I use the movie ideas entirely. I may even cut that part of the story too. I know where this story is going and how it ends though so don't worry._ _I just don't know how I'm going to get there. Anyway please review. peace out._


	6. Drinking For 11

Chapter 5: Drinking For 11

_A/N: Ok, I meant to update this on Sunday but I got sidetracked. I'm trying to get a job right now and all my friends came back from college over the past few weeks. So I was out hanging with them instead of updating. This time I promise to put the next chapter up by the end of the week._

The group of four walked down to the bar near Troy's apartment to celebrate Sharpay's newfound fame. Troy made sure to lock his door before he left, knowing that Doug wouldn't be able to unlock it in his inebriated state. Taking Sharpay's arm, he led her down the street with Gabriella and Ryan following behind. The night air was brisk as the sun set to their left, casting long shadows in the streets. Sharpay clung closer to Troy's arm as the streetlights blinked on. Ryan whispered to Gabriella as the other two in their group got further away from them.

"They're in their own little world aren't they?" Ryan turned to look at Gabriella when she took his hand and put it on her hip.

"Troy really needed someone like her. Since we started to live together, we've only been drifting further apart. We're still really close friends but I swear sometimes he keeps things from me." She snuggled into Ryan's arm as they continued to walk down the street. She shivered as a breeze blew by, blowing her hair into her face. Ryan saw this out of the corner of his eye and turned to brush the hair out of her face. He continued to stare into her eyes, the task of clearing her face long forgotten. She was also looking back at him. The scene was slightly amusing as he was over a head taller than her. She got up on her tiptoes as Ryan bent lower to kiss her.

"Hurry up you slowpokes! Last one there buys the drinks!" Sharpay called back to the couple just as their lips were about to meet. Ryan ignored his sister and kept going, but Gabi turned her head abruptly, jumping a foot in the air from fright. Her forehead collided with his nose, Ryan knocked backward from the force of the blow. He had been caught off guard by her sudden movement, his eyes being closed in anticipation for a kiss.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Gabriella quickly got on her knees to look at Ryan's nose as he held his face in his hands.

"Is it broken?" Gabriella put her hand on his nose and he flinched from the touch.

"Quit being a baby and let me see." She put her hands on her hips and looked him dead in the eye. He quickly stopped his movement and his whining, allowing her to touch his nose.

"It's not broken. It's not even bleeding." She said as she helped him up to his feet. Ryan looked up and saw that Troy and Sharpay were nowhere to be seen. Sighing, he walked alongside Gabriella again, still nursing his nose which still hurt.

"What took you two so long?" Troy asked when they finally appeared in the bar. They both shrugged and sat across from the other couple in the booth.

"Well Ryan, you were the last one, you buy the drinks." Sharpay said with a laugh. Ryan flew into a rage when she said this as his nose was still throbbing.

"Shar, I just got wanged in the nose because you made Gabi jump. I think I'm the one that needs the drink!" He sat down and crossed his arms over his chest, sulking.

"Fine you big baby. You don't have to buy the drinks; we'll just pay for ourselves." She conceded, pouting as well.

"No, this is supposed to be a special night." Troy interrupted the feuding siblings. "I'll buy the drinks, you two hug and make up." He stared pointedly at the two as they got up and hugged each other from across the table. The squabble over, the atmosphere turned light as the booze flowed. Sharpay and Gabriella quickly got drunk out of their minds and were laughing hysterically after just 3 drinks. Troy made sure to get Ryan just as drunk as his two female companions by buying him some harder liquor. While Ryan was getting completely wasted on Vodka, Gabriella and Sharpay were busy laughing at Troy and how he chose to just drink a couple of beers.

The group decided to leave a few hours later after Ryan had woken up for the second time that night. After throwing up in the bathroom, he felt good enough for another round but Troy put his foot down. Since the night was still young, the group decided to go down to the park to work off some of the alcohol they had ingested. Clearly drunk, Sharpay raced ahead toward the pond in the park and started chasing ducks. Gabriella soon followed her out, tripping and falling into the pond. Troy rushed over to help her out of the water after propping Ryan up on a park bench because he had passed out again.

"Shar, leave the ducks alone." Troy scolded her like he would a child as Gabriella thrashed around in the water, enjoying herself. A nearby homeless man was watching all of this unfold as he pushed his shopping cart around the park. A duck flew into his cart, trying to avoid Sharpay and her wild movements. The sudden appearance of the bird caused the man to lose control of his cart as it toppled over.

"I'm so sorry mister. Let me help you." Sharpay got down on her knees and began to help the man pick up his belongings. Troy watched all of this as he continued to take pictures secretly. He thought to himself 'Wow, she's helping a homeless man. I didn't think I'd see the day.' Having finished helping the man with his cart she got up and smiled at the man.

"There you go mister. You have a nice night, ok." She giggled in her drunkenness and gave the man $10. He looked at the bill for a second, wondering who the hell this girl was.

"Don't worry about it. Go buy yourself a drink." She skipped off away from the man and joined Troy who had just fished Gabriella out of the pond.

"I helped someone!" She jumped up and down, clapping her hands. Gabriella joined her in her jumping and clapping as Troy rolled his eyes at their childishness.

"Let's go home before a cop sees you and arrests you for public drunkenness." Troy pulled Sharpay and Gabriella to the bench where he had left Ryan who was peacefully sleeping. Picking him up, he balanced Ryan between himself and the not as drunk Gabriella. They began their slow walk back to Troy's apartment, four blocks away. Sharpay sang happily as she walked in front of them back to the apartment.

"We're home." Troy called into his dark apartment, flipping a light switch to reveal Doug asleep on the couch. He blinked his eyes open slowly before seeing Troy with Ryan draped over his shoulders. He got up off the couch and helped him set Ryan down, losing his grip and dropping Ryan unceremoniously onto his side.

"Call them a cab, I'm gonna get Gabi into bed." He pulled Gabriella into their bedroom and tucked her in as Doug got out the phonebook and called for a taxi. Sharpay meanwhile sat on the couch and pouted. When Troy came back out, he had changed his shirt because Ryan had thrown up in his sleep.

"Is the cab coming?" Troy asked as he moved to put Ryan in a more dignified position.

"I don't wanna go home." Sharpay made her presence known by stomping over to Troy and jumping onto him.

"I wanna stay here. We can…you know." She purred into his ear as Troy fought to get her off of his back. Finally succeeding in getting her off, he sat her down on the couch and spoke firmly to her.

"As tempting as that sounds, you're drunk out of your mind. You have lunch with your cast mates tomorrow too, remember?" He tried to get her attention as she turned her face away from him.

"Listen, if you go home and get a good night's rest, I'll take you someplace special tomorrow night." He bargained with her. Turning her head at the mention of 'someplace special' she finally nodded her head and gave him a smile.

The cab came ten minutes later and Troy helped Sharpay and Ryan into the backseat before going around to the front seat. He instructed the driver on where to go and they left for Sharpay's condo. After walking them upstairs and helping them into bed, he kissed Sharpay on the forehead and turned to leave. She grabbed his hand as he left and she sat up in her bed.

"Troy, thanks for tonight. You're a really good friend." He winced internally when he heard those words, instantly thinking about the camera he left charging at home.

"You just go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." She leaned up to kiss him and he bent over so that she didn't have to reach up so far. Troy broke the kiss after a minute and said goodnight to her one last time before going back downstairs to his waiting taxi. When he finally got home, he promptly passed out on his bed with his shoes still on.

_The next day_

Ryan had woken up with a large hangover and took a big aspirin in an attempt to alleviate the pounding in his brain. Sharpay's wasn't as bad but she still needed to throw up after her shower. Calling a cab, she left Ryan in the condo to recover as she went to meet her new cast mates. The cab let her off down the street from the restaurant since the road was full of traffic. She walked the rest of the way so that she wouldn't be late. Going into the restaurant, she quickly found the director who she had met a few months prior.

"Hey Vicky, how are you today?" Sharpay greeted her with a hug.

"I'm not doing so hot today Shari. Not after what I found in the paper this morning. She quickly brought out the paper from behind her back and showed her the front page. There was a picture of Sharpay clad only in a towel, looking surprised. The headline read 'New movie star: An exhibitionist? Details inside.' Sharpay gasped at the picture as she read the article quickly. There was only one thing on her mind as she looked at the picture one last time.

"How the hell did they get this picture?" She yelled into the restaurant.

_A/N: Uh oh. Is Sharpay going to find out that it's Troy? Does Troy feel remorse for what he's doing? Are Ryan and Gabi an item? Why did I only get one review for the last chapter. Sure it was a intermission but a lot went on in that chapter if you think abou it. Please review, I look forward to hearing any feedback about my story. Peace out._


	7. Is This Love?

Chapter 6: Is This Love?

_A/N: Ok, so it's sunday instead of friday like I promised. There's a bonus scene at the end of the chapter to make it up. Thank you for all of the reviews, they're my writing fuel._

A small crowd was gathering outside of the restaurant that Sharpay was at. She was supposed to be meeting with her co-stars and director for her upcoming movie but she was being distracted by the numerous flashes from people's cameras. The morning paper had her picture splashed across the front page, instantly making her the biggest star in town. Her co-stars frowned at her disapprovingly as she put a menu up to her face to hide from prying cameras. The director, Zack Martin (just a name), was also disappointed in Sharpay. He pulled her off to the back of the restaurant to have a private conversation.

"Look Shari, baby. Publicity is good, but this was supposed to be a secret." He sat her in a chair in the corner of a private room. No one was allowed inside the room so it was safe to speak freely.

"We weren't going to announce that you were going to star in this picture until next week. It looks like the press beat us to it so we're going to release a statement tomorrow." Zack explained to her as she looked at the floor and twiddled her fingers.

"I'm sorry. I really don't know how it got out. I didn't tell anyone except my closest friends and I know they wouldn't tell." She gave a puppy dog pout to prove how sorry she was and to beg for forgiveness.

"Ok, I believe you. But these kinds of things can't get out to the public before we officially release it." He put his hand on her shoulder and helped her to stand up.

"What am I supposed to do about the cameras though?" She asked as she gathered her purse from the floor.

"You gotta go into hiding sweet thang. Just for a couple days. That's when we're going to move you on set where you'll live for the rest of shooting." He walked towards the door of the private room and stopped there. He turned to face her and she stopped in front of him.

"I really hate to tell you this but if any more news leaks and it's about you, we're going to have to kick your cute little butt out the door. We have at least three other girls that are just as qualified to star in this picture. I would really hate to see that happen to you." He turned and opened the door for her before she could say anything. Disappointed at the outcome of her discussion, she had a frown on when she left the private room. Deciding that she wasn't hungry anymore, she walked to the bathroom to call Ryan to pick her up. Ryan picked up his phone on the second ring with a hello.

"Hey Ryan, I don't think I'm very hungry. Do you think you could pick me up?" She looked at herself in the mirror and fixed her hair.

"Sorry Shar, I can't. I'm on my way to meet with the executive producer downtown." She frowned at the news and started whining into her phone.

"Who's gonna pick me up then Ryan. I'm stuck in a restaurant because I'm surrounded by a bunch of idiots with cameras."

"I'm really sorry Sharpay, but this is a little more important right now. This concerns your job so I have to do this." He paused to think for a moment as he was sitting at a red light.

"Why don't you call Troy and see if he can come to pick you up?" Sharpay brightened at the mention of Troy and the possibility that he could pick her up.

"That is an excellent idea Ryan, why didn't I think of that? Ok, I'll see you at home." She hung up her phone and immediately started dialing Troy's number.

"Hey Sharpay, what's up?" Troy answered just before it went to his voicemail. Sharpay smiled at the familiar voice.

"Umm, do you think you could pick me up from the restaurant? You know the one?"

"Yeah, I guess I can. I'm in the neighborhood so I'll swing by and get you."

"Go to the back of the restaurant, there's a ton of people at the front trying to take pictures of me." She started looking for the back entrance to the building where she could make her escape.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there in five minutes." He hung up with a click and put his camera away. The truth was, he was one of the people sitting outside of the restaurant trying to snap a few discreet pictures from his car. He put his camera away in the trunk before pulling out of his parking stall and circling the block to the rear of the building. Sharpay was standing there in the alley, luckily no one knew she had left except for Zack. She jumped into the passenger seat and Troy drove away from the restaurant quickly.

"Wow it was a mad house out front." Troy remarked on the very crowded sidewalk that fronted the building.

"I feel so bad Troy. My picture is all over the paper and the news got out that I'm going to star in the new movie." She went on to relay the rest of the conversation she had with her director. As Sharpay looked straight ahead, Troy was sweating bullets in the driver's seat. 'She could lose this gig because of me.' Troy thought to himself as he glanced at her for a brief second. She was leaning on the doorframe, her chin in her hand and looking very sad. He reached over with his hand to take her hand in his. He rubbed his thumb softly over the top of her knuckles as she sighed into the door, closing her eyes.

"Don't worry Shar, I'm sure everything will turn out fine in the end." She took her head out of her hands and looked at him as he drove. A small smile broke onto her face as she remembered how happy she was when she was around him.

"Thanks Troy, you always know what to say." She squeezed his hand back and continued to look out the window.

"You know what, how about we get away from the city for the day. Forget about the movie for the afternoon." He turned the car around and started heading west.

"Troy, where will we go? If someone sees me there will be cameras everywhere." She frowned at the memory of all the flashbulbs going off in her face.

"Don't you worry about that. We'll go to my secret spot on the beach. I've only ever seen a few surfers there. No one will bother you for the rest of the day at least." He sped up as he got onto the highway, heading toward the beach. She smiled and leaned back in the seat to take a nap.

A half an hour later Troy parked his car along a grove of trees on an empty side street. He turned to Sharpay and gently shook her shoulder, rousing her from her dreams.

"Hey Sharpay, we're here." She opened her eyes slowly and squinted in the afternoon sun. Putting her sunglasses on, she scanned the area and found no one in sight.

"The beach is on the other side of these trees. No one comes here because it's so far away from anything." He gestured to the trees as he helped her out of the car. They walked through the grove of ironwood trees toward the beach. The ground was covered with millions of dry needles and tiny pine cones from the trees. A lone picnic bench stood in the center of a large clearing just in front of the beach. The sand sloped down to the water where the waves gently broke. It was like a place out of a fairytale. Sharpay gasped at the beauty of the place and broke into a run onto the sand.

"Hey wait up!" Troy yelled after her as she ran along the beach, a bright smile plastered on her face.

"This place is beautiful Troy. How did you find it?" She stopped and turned to him, running back to give him a hug.

"I found it during college. Me and Doug were working on an indie surf film and we found this beach by accident. He was driving and I was asleep in the back. We got a flat down the road and while he fixed it I got up to scope the place out." He explained as she continued to hug him. He rested his chin on the top of her head as she closed her eyes, smiling. They spent the rest of the afternoon there, playing in the shallows and sitting up on the beach. They talked the whole afternoon about anything and everything. Troy brought out his camera and took a picture of himself with Sharpay sitting on the beach. When the sun went down they got into the car and drove home, reluctantly. Troy pulled up in front of her condo and stopped the car.

"Thank you Troy, I had a great time. You always know how to cheer me up." She smiled as she opened the door. It seems she couldn't stop smiling when she was around him.

"Did you want to come up?" She turned around before she closed the door. Troy's eyebrows went up at the offer.

"Maybe just for a little bit. I have work tomorrow and I need to get home and take a shower." He explained as he got out of the car as well. He locked the car and followed her upstairs. A little bit turned into a couple of hours as they spent the time kissing on the couch. They were interrupted at around 9:30 when Ryan came home. Yawning he walked past them without a second glance.

"Hey Troy. I'm really tired so I'll see you tomorrow." He walked down the hallway to his room and closed the door. Troy and Sharpay broke into a laugh when Ryan's door closed.

"I guess I better get going. I'm glad that I could cheer you up a little bit." He opened the door and stopped at the threshold. Sharpay rushed over and hugged him one last time.

"Bye Troy, I'll see you tomorrow." She said sweetly as she leant up to kiss him goodbye.

"Yeah, tomorrow." He said as he left, Sharpay leaning against the doorframe to watch him leave.

_Extra_

Ryan's meeting had not gone as well as he wanted and was also feeling depressed like his sister. The conversation with the executive producer had gone about the same as the one that Sharpay had had with the director. Driving without a clear destination in mind, Ryan ended up in front of Gabriella's coffee shop. Deciding that he was thirsty, he parked his car and went inside.

"Is Gabriella here?" He asked one of the servers. She seated him at a table and went to go get Gabriella from the backroom. She came out a few minutes later and sat across from Ryan.

"Hey you. What can I get'cha?" She asked as he continued to stare at the napkin holder on the table.

"I don't know, I'm not much of a coffee drinker. I'm just a little down is all." He explained as he turned to Gabi. She noticed the forlorn expression on his face and instantly sympathized with him.

"Rough day at work? I got just the thing to cheer you up. I'll be right back." She got up and went behind the counter to put together something for him. She came back a few minutes later with a cup in her hand. Ryan looked at the offered drink and broke into a half smile. It was a root beer float with an ice cream smiley face floating in it.

"We give that to the kids that come in here. I thought it would cheer you up." She said as she spooned some ice cream into her mouth. Taking the spoon she just ate from, she scooped some more ice cream up and put it into Ryan's mouth. He swallowed and pulled the spoon out of his mouth.

"Thanks Gabi. How much do I owe you?" He asked as they got up from their table, having finished the root beer float and their conversation. She picked up the empty cup and walked toward the counter.

"Nothing, it's on the house." She said back to him.

"That's not good for business Gabi. I have to pay you." He pulled out a ten dollar bill and handed it to her. She pushed it back to him, shaking her head.

"No really Ryan, it's on the house." She threw the cup into the sink and turned back to him.

"Gabi, you're going to live with Troy forever if you keep giving complimentary drinks out." She thought about it for a moment before taking the offered bill from Ryan. She put the money into the register and walked back to Ryan. She smiled slightly and hugged him. When she pulled away from him she smiled seductively at him, an idea popping into her head.

"Hey mister, where's my tip?" She winked at him to give him a hint but he was still confused. Rather than wait for him to figure it out, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. They broke apart two minutes later and Ryan smiled at her.

"I'll see you later Gabi." He said as he walked out of her store. She watched him leave before going back to work.

_A/N: The beach that I described in the story is real. I don't know if someplace like that exists in California but there's one like that here. I've only been there twice but I love it so much. There was only one other person there when I found it. It was amazing I wish I took more pictures. On another note, I have almost the same number of reviews as my other story and only half the number of hits. Thanks to everyone that reviewed. Suggestions are still welcome._


	8. Perfect Situation

Chapter 7: Perfect Situation

_A/N: Here it is. The big reveal chapter. I'm really dissapointed at the number of reviews for last chapter. 2! I know it's partly because everyone is updating really fast and this story got pushed to the back but there were still about 60 hits on that chapter. Don't make me beg.  
_

Troy stormed into his boss' office in an extremely foul mood that afternoon. Without so much as a knock, he pushed the door open making it slam against the wall. Al looked up from his computer to see that Troy was standing there. He was breathing heavily through his nostrils and had his hands on his hips. Shrugging him off, he turned back to his internet poker game and dismissed Troy with a wave of his hand.

"What the hell is this?" Troy asked angrily. He slammed a magazine down on the desk, shaking Al's collection of bobble-head dolls. Al sighed and turned the magazine to face him. It was a weekly gossip tabloid with Sharpay on the front page.

"It's a good picture; you should be getting your bonus in the mail pretty soon." Al again waved his hand to tell Troy to leave.

"No! Why does it say 'Crazy and drunk! Shari mugs a homeless man!'? She didn't mug him! She gave him money to say sorry!" Troy put his hand up in frustration.

"Look, kid. The original story was great. Actress helps homeless man, that's third page stuff. Now mugging a homeless man is front page news!" Al stood up and showed him the magazine again.

"You made the front cover! It's not People but soon enough my friend." He wagged a congratulatory finger at him.

"I don't want the cover if it's at the expense of the person's reputation." Troy explained to his boss. Al raised an eyebrow at him.

"Then you're in the wrong business. We're in it for the money. People pay big to see celebrities screw up. If you can't or won't deliver, we're gonna have to let you go." Al sat back down in his seat confident about his threat. Troy started pacing the room in frustration, nearly ripping the hair off of his head. He finally stopped and turned back to the desk.

"Is there any way you can get them to post a retraction and apology. Maybe even the real story too?" Troy bargained. Al smiled at him before breaking into a loud laugh. He continued to laugh, slapping his knees and wiping his eyes from the tears. Troy just stood there and clenched his fists, almost to the point of drawing blood. Al finally calmed down enough to notice that Troy wasn't laughing with him.

"Oh you're serious. There's no way I could do that. Why would I want to?"

"Maybe cause you're a nice guy. She's one of the good people. She's kind and caring; she's a great actress with an amazing voice. She's beautiful and funny, smart as a whip and she can't put a smile on anyone's face." Troy had gone off into his own world as he was describing Sharpay. Al stared at him through his glasses.

"Oh my God. You love her. The hunter got attached to his prey." Al smirked at him.

"You know what, maybe I do. I love her. She doesn't deserve this kind of treatment."

"She's an airhead princess that's overpaid for doing what little work she does. People resent her because she's famous. Don't tell me she doesn't deserve it." Al stood up, getting angry at his belligerent employee.

"She doesn't and you know what? I don't either. I quit." Troy picked up a bobble-head and threw it across the room. He turned on his heel and walked out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

"Geez, what a bitch." Al said to himself when Troy left.

_Meanwhile in Sharpay's condo_

Sharpay decided to stay inside to avoid the cameras that were inevitably waiting for her downstairs. She sighed as she thought about the past few days she had spent with Troy. She could feel it deep in her soul; she had fallen in love with Troy and there was no turning back. When he touched her, she swore she could feel the sparks travel down her spine. When he kissed her, her toes curled from the exhilaration of it all. She never felt this way about another person before so she deduced that it could only be love.

Her reminiscing was interrupted by Ryan walking in through the door with a huff. He turned to Sharpay with magazine in hand. As soon as she saw it her face fell and she avoided eye contact.

"What did I do now? I've been inside for the past two days." She asked exasperatedly. Those pictures were starting to get a bit eerie. It scared her that technology had advanced so much that a person could take pictures from great distances and still come out clearly. It also scared her that someone would stalk her so much just to get pictures of a celebrity. Ryan put the magazine down on the table and pushed it to Sharpay who picked it up. Her jaw dropped after reading the headline and continued to stay down as it read the accompanying half page article.

"I didn't mug that man!" She cried indignantly.

"Maybe I was drunk, but I gave that man money to apologize for knocking all of his stuff over." She put her head in her hands and started to cry.

"Those assholes. All they have to do is put a different caption down and it changes the whole meaning of the picture." Ryan put the magazine in the rubbish can. Sharpay's phone started ringing then. She picked it up off the table and groaned when she read the number on the small screen. Quickly wiping her eyes and clearing her throat, she answered the phone.

"Hey Zack! What's up?" She asked cheerily. Ryan didn't hear the other end of the conversation but he could tell it was bad. Sharpay's face continued to fall and she was nearly in tears again.

"Uh huh. I understand. Thank you." She sniffled when she hung up.

"What was that about?" Ryan asked, putting an arm around his sister to comfort her.

"That was Zack. He just saw the article and he wasn't very happy. He said that he was giving me one last chance because he likes me and really wants me to be in this movie." She explained the other side of the conversation to Ryan.

"Come on, cheer up. You still have the part." He tried to cheer her up. She wiped her eyes and stopped crying but she still looked sad.

"Hey, isn't Troy going to take you to dinner tonight?" Ryan asked in a last ditch effort to get her to smile. It worked. The mention of Troy's name instantly brought a smile to her face and she hugged her brother.

"Thanks Ryan, what would I do without you?" She went to the freezer and pulled out a tub of ice cream.

"You want some?" She asked as she came back to sit down with him at the table.

"I'm gonna have to say no. I'm going out later and I don't want to ruin my appetite." He said, getting up from his seat.

"With who?" Sharpay asked before Ryan got out of earshot. He turned around and faced her before answering.

"Actually, I'm going to dinner with Gabriella tonight. Don't wait up." He told her as he walked to the bathroom. Sharpay smiled again and continued to eat out of the carton of ice cream.

_Later that night_

Gabriella didn't come home till about three that morning. She found Troy asleep on the couch, the newspaper on his chest. She took the paper off of him and replaced it with a blanket. Kissing his forehead, she shut off the light and went to the bedroom to change into her night clothes. Several hours later, Troy woke up with the sunlight streaming through the window. Noticing that he wasn't in his bedroom, he pulled the blanket off of himself and walked to the door. Knocking before entering, he slid into the bedroom. The noise that Troy made in the bathroom woke Gabriella up. She glanced over at the clock and noticed that it was 10:30. She had to be down at the café at 1:00 that afternoon so she wasn't particularly worried about waking up late. A few minutes later, Troy appeared from the bathroom after taking a shower. Noticing that Gabi was up, he motioned for her to follow him. They took a seat on their matching barstools and Troy stared at the floor.

"What is it?" Gabi asked after Troy stayed silent for a minute.

"How was your date last night?" Troy asked.

"It was great, Ryan is a great guy. What is on your mind? I know that's not what you want to talk about." Gabi stared at him with piercing eyes, trying to get him to tell her what was wrong.

"I quit my job yesterday. I don't know how we can pay the bills now." Troy looked at the ground and mumbled to himself.

"What? Why did you quit? You know we need the money Troy." She hit him on the arm lightly to get him to look at her.

"Did you see the tabloids yesterday? I can't do that to Sharpay anymore. She doesn't deserve it." His eyes were red from the strain of holding back his tears.

"You love her don't you." Gabi said it rather than ask a question. Troy just nodded his head sullenly.

"You have to tell her." She said after thinking for about two seconds.

"Tell her what?" Troy was slowly losing his mind over the whole ordeal.

"Tell her you love her you idiot. She needs to know. You also have to tell her that you were the one that was taking all of those pictures. You don't want her finding out from someone else." Gabi said as she got up to go take a shower. Suddenly realizing what he had to do, Troy shot up off of his seat and bolted for the door.

_Meanwhile at Sharpay's condo_

She woke up to the sound of her cell phone going off on her bedside table. Reaching over, she picked it up and answered it.

"Hello who is this?" She asked the other person. In her sleepiness she had forgotten to check the caller I.D.

"I'm just a friend. Look on page A 17 in the paper." The man on the other line hung up before she could say anything else. Sighing, she flipped over on her bed and rolled off. She opened her door a crack to pull the newspaper inside and opened it up to the page that the man had told her to. The article read:

Troy Bolton was a charismatic freelance photographer that loved his job. He recently quit his job with the Wildcat photography agency citing personal differences as his main reason for the split. He had been working in the field for nearly two years now and has had many of his photos featured in various magazines. His most recent batch of photos were centered around the Broadway actress, Shari Evans. He has declined for comment on his latest subject.

Sharpay stopped reading after that, shock written on her face. 'So Troy was the one all along. I thought we had something special, he could have been the one!' Sharpay thought to herself angrily. Just then there was a knock on the door. Checking the peephole, she saw Troy standing on the other side of the door. She opened the door swiftly and put the paper in his face.

"What the hell Troy! Did you come back to take more pictures and ruin my good name?" She threw the paper down on the ground and crossed her arms.

"I can explain. I did it." He was cut off by a slap to the face. Sharpay was fuming, her face was flushed with anger and she was on the verge of tears.

"I thought I could trust you Troy. I fell in love with you but you've been lying to me all this time." Troy did a double-take at what she had said.

"Yes, I fell in love with you. But I don't think I could ever forgive you for what you did." She had started crying by then and Troy just stood there, shell shocked.

"Get out." Sharpay said through clenched teeth. Troy didn't move. He stumbled to find the right words to say to her to explain himself. Losing her patience, she slapped him again and pointed out the door.

"Get out now! I don't want to see you ever again!" Troy sprang back at the sudden outburst and quickly left the room. Sharpay slammed the door behind him and broke into tears, falling against the door in sadness. Outside, Troy slammed his fist into the metal elevator doors, tears falling down his face.

"Perfect!" He yelled into the empty hallway.

_A/N: I don't know why but the last 2 chapters were longer then what I usually do. There's still a lot of the story left so keep reading and reviewing. Peace out._


	9. Set Me Free

Intermission: Set Me Free

_A/N: Another intermission. THe real next chapter will be up tomorrow. Please keep reviewing._

The phone had been ringing off the hook for a half an hour before Sharpay finally got up to pick it up. After she had made Troy leave she had gone to her room and cried into her pillow. She had ignored all of the phone calls that he had been making until now. Without even looking at the phone she threw the ringing phone out the window, turning back to her pillow and continuing to cry. She eventually fell into a fitful sleep, finally growing tired of the crying. Ryan had tried to comfort his sister but she could not be consoled. She kicked him out of her room as well and shut the door.

"Shar, come on. Open this door so I can talk to you." Ryan had been sitting on the other side of the door talking to her. Unknown to him, she had fallen asleep and could not have possibly been listening to her. Giving up for the time being, Ryan got up and drove to Troy and Gabriella's apartment. When he arrived he found Troy nursing his hand with a wet towel, a large hole in the wall next to him.

"Do you mind explaining yourself, Troy?" Ryan asked him as he sat next to him. Troy just glared at him and turned back to his hand which was bleeding.

"Why'd you do it? If you love my sister as much as you say you do, why'd you do it?" Ryan asked as he went to the fridge and got some ice. Reluctantly, Troy told Ryan about his side of the story. He explained that he had quit his job, outraged at the way the company was using his pictures to destroy her reputation. He also explained that he had been on his way to tell Sharpay the truth when she must've already known. Ryan then showed Troy the newspaper article. Instantly knowing who had done it, he ripped the paper to shreds and threw it across the room.

"That bastard! This is low even for him!" Troy got up and punched another wall, this time hitting a stud. He gripped his hand in pain and began to curse loudly.

"You know who put the article in the paper?" Ryan asked him as he went to help him with his hand.

"It must be Al, my boss. I must've gotten him mad so to get back at me he printed that." He pointed to the pile of paper on the other side of the room.

"Lucy, I'm home!" Doug said as he came in the front door. Ryan and Troy just stared at him oddly.

"This is not a good time Doug." Troy said as he gestured to the hole in the wall.

"Go to her man. She needs to know that you didn't mean to hurt her and that you really do love her." Doug said as he went to the fridge to get a beer. Troy's eyes widened at how perceptive he was to the problem.

"How did…how did you know?" Troy stuttered out.

"How many times do I have to say it before you believe me. I'm a genius." Doug smirked as he tapped the bottle to his forehead.

"I think mister genius here is right though. You better get going." Ryan said as he walked toward the door. Troy caught a ride with Ryan and soon they were walking into the condominium. The first thing they both noticed was Sharpay's door was open. Quickly rushing over to the door they found the room in disarray. Clothing was everywhere and the sheets were rumpled into a ball on the floor. A quick scan of the condo turned up nothing. Sharpay was nowhere to be found. Sitting down at the table, Troy put his head in his hands and groaned.

"You want something to drink while we wait?" Ryan asked as he made his way to the fridge. Noticing a note on the fridge he pulled it off and started to read it aloud.

"Dear Ryan,

I'm really sorry that I was so cold to you earlier but I was so upset. I've decided that I can't live like this anymore and I'm moving back to New York. I dropped out of the movie and am going back to Broadway. I got our old apartment back so don't worry, I have a place to stay.

Love you,

Sharpay"

Ryan dropped the note to the floor as he read the last lines. Troy had his head up and eyes open wide as Ryan read the note. Without a word spoken to each other they both ran out the door and started driving to the airport.

"Damn it Sharpay, why'd you go?" Troy asked himself as Ryan sped down the freeway.

_A/N: I know it's short but that's the point of an intermission. I got more reviews for last chapter but I still think I could get more. The chapter title is the title of a song by a local band, Go Jimmy Go. Should listen to some of their stuff, they're a pretty good band._


	10. Otherside of the World

Chapter 8: Otherside of the World

_A/N: Yay, I got my first flame! It was for my other story but it still counts. Thank you, whoever you are. Your lack of tact and good grammar has left me in a foul mood. Also, if you plan on flaming me in the future, leave your pen name or an e-mail address so I know who I'm laughing at._

The sights, sounds, and smells of the big city enveloped Sharpay as she stepped out the doors of the airport. She closed her eyes for a second, breathing in the city air. 'I'm home.' She thought to herself. Walking down to the street, she quickly hailed a cab and got in while the driver placed her luggage in the trunk. The drive to her apartment was quiet; it gave her time to think back on what she was doing.

"He lied about his job and what he's been doing since high school. How do I know if he and Gabriella aren't really married?" She mumbled quietly to herself. The cab stopped outside of her apartment and she stepped out. She thanked the driver and paid him before he pulled the rest of her bags out. She gathered her things and walked into the building.

"Room 1412, home sweet home." She dropped her bags in the living room and went through the apartment. She checked to make sure that everything was still in place and that it was kept clean. She decided to unpack in the morning so she dumped her bags in her old bedroom and changed into her night clothes. Climbing into bed, she clicked the light off and had another bad dream about Troy.

_The next morning_

Troy and Ryan weren't quite as lucky catching a plane to New York. The earliest flight they could catch wouldn't arrive in New York until 3:30. The plane was further delayed by bad weather in Los Angeles. Due to the worried state that they were in, they packed nothing and had only a few items with them during the trip. Finally getting to Sharpay's apartment, they quickly ran into the building and up the elevator.

"Damn it! I don't have the keys. I left them back in L.A." Ryan said as he dug through his pockets, turning them inside out. They decided knocking on the door wouldn't do any good; she probably wouldn't open the door for them. They went back downstairs and asked the attendant at the front desk if he had an extra key to the apartment. Recognizing Ryan, he gave them the spare key. Rushing back upstairs, Ryan put the key into the lock and turned it.

"What the hell!" Ryan yelled as the key wouldn't turn in the lock.

"She must've changed the locks knowing that we would follow after her." Ryan said as Troy began pounding on the door. As Troy tried to coax the blonde out of the apartment, Ryan tried calling her cell phone. After ten minutes and no luck, they concluded that she wasn't there.

"Maybe she went down to the theater. All of our friends are probably there, practicing." Ryan suggested. They quickly ran back downstairs and hailed a cab to take them into town. Praying to anyone that would listen they ran into the theater to see if Sharpay was there.

"Ryan! What are you doing here?" A woman dressed in an elaborate costume asked as she came from backstage.

"Julia, have you seen my sister?" Ryan asked her.

"Who is this?" Julia asked as she gave Troy a once over. Troy just stepped back from her admiring gaze, not sure if he liked the way she was looking at him.

"I have to tell Sharpay something. Please, if you know where she is, tell us." Understanding crept onto her face as she realized who she was talking to.

"So you're Troy, huh?" She gave him a cold gaze and turned quickly, turning her nose up at them.

"Julia, this isn't funny. Where is she?" Ryan grabbed a hold of her arm and spun her around. She still wouldn't look at them in the face and instead looked at the far wall.

"She told me all about you. Don't bother trying to find her; I won't let you near her." She pulled her arm away from Ryan and advanced on Troy. Pulling her arm back, she struck him once across the face, bare palmed. She then stomped on his foot before turning around and pushing Ryan out of her way.

"Hey now that was uncalled for." Troy spoke up while rubbing his cheek from the powerful blow he had received.

"Fine, I'll make you a deal. If you can get past me, I'll tell you where she is." She spread her arms out above her head to stretch before dropping into a fighting stance.

"I can't fight you. I would never hit a woman." Troy crossed his arms in front of himself and stood firm.

"Oh don't worry about me, I have two black belts." She threw a few punches into the air before dropping into another fighting stance.

"Come on Troy, you can take her." Ryan pushed Troy toward Julia who smiled at him menacingly. Troy reluctantly put his hands up to signal that he accepted her challenge. As soon as his hands went up, Julia lunged forward and struck Troy squarely in the sternum. He was left on the ground gasping for breath because she had knocked the wind out of him.

"You gotta do better than that if you want to know where she is." She laughed at him, putting her hands on her hips. Troy took the opening that she presented and brought his foot up quickly to sweep her feet out from under her. He didn't quite make it though as he ended up kicking her in the crotch. She just took the blow with a smile and began laughing at him.

"What are you aiming for? I ain't got no balls, dummy." Troy scrambled to his feet as she laughed at his pathetic attempts to fight back.

"Come on Troy, she's kicking your ass." She landed a swift kick to the back of his head before twirling around him and punching him squarely in the stomach.

"She **really** kicking your ass." Ryan cringed as she landed another blow to his head.

"Time out." Troy put his hands in a T and tried to catch his breath. She put her hands down and shrugged at him.

"Take as long as you want. You still won't win." Taking the opportunity, he rushed at her and grabbed both of her arms. Spinning her around quickly, he put her arms behind her back and held her there.

"Hey that's cheating!" She tried to free her arms from his hold but to no avail. He had her arms and legs in a lock; it was impossible for her to move.

"I win. Now tell me where she is." Troy grunted out as he fought to keep her locked in the hold. After about a minute of them standing there in a deadlock, she conceded victory to Troy.

"Fine, you win. I'll tell you, just let me go." She whined. Troy dropped her arms and let her free from his hold.

"She went down to central park to think. She was so depressed, it was scary. Usually she's cheery and happy, but she looked like there was a black cloud following her around today." She walked backstage again, out of sight.

"Thanks, Julia!" Ryan called after her as they left the theater to catch a cab down to the park.

_Two hours later_

They had searched a good amount of the park and had still not found Sharpay anywhere.

"Damn it, why does this park have to be so big!" Ryan sat down on a park bench to rest. Troy continued walking down the path, leaving Ryan grumbling about his sore feet.

"You rest, I won't stop until I find her." Troy walked away from the path and down toward a pond. He saw a blonde woman sitting in the grass in the distance. Picking up his pace to a quick jog, he soon made his way toward the woman.

"Sharpay!" He called to her as he realized that it was in fact her. She turned quickly at the sound of her name and gasped in shock as she saw Troy approaching her quickly. She scrambled to her feet and tried to run away from him quickly. He caught up to her and put his arms around her.

"Stop running from me, Sharpay." Troy spoke softly into her ear.

"What Troy, didn't get enough pictures? You followed me all the way to New York to get more? You really are pathetic." She sneered as she struggled to escape his grasp.

"I quit that job because of what they were doing to you. I love you." He had finally spoken the three words she had longed to hear.

"I'm sorry. I don't even know who you are anymore." She finally wriggled free from his grasp. She elbowed him in the stomach and broke into a run.

"Is today beat up Troy day?" He winced in pain as he tried to catch up to her.

"Did you think saying 'I love you' would have me running back into your arms? This isn't a movie, it's real life Troy." She called back to him as she made her way toward the edge of the park.

'Damn she runs fast.' He thought to himself, struggling to keep up with the retreating blonde. She made it to the street and, without looking, ran into the street. A bus honked its horn loudly to get Sharpay's attention. Turning her head toward the sound, she froze in her spot on the street.

"Sharpay!" Troy screamed as he saw what was happening.

"Oh my…" The last thing she saw was white before everything around her faded to black.

_A/N: I had to do it. There are about 2-3 chapters left before this story is done. There is the possibility of an epilogue or a sequel but that all depends on you, the reviewers, and whether I'm in a good mood or not. Expect the next chapter to be up by Thursday. Peace out._


	11. No Woman No Cry

Chapter 9: No Woman No Cry

_A/N: I meant to put this up yesterday but the site was screwy. I don't really like this chapter but it's kind of essential to the story. The title is from the song of the same name by Bob Marley. The title is Jamaican patois meaning "Don't cry, woman", though it is frequently misunderstood as meaning "Women make you cry"(wikipedia)_

A cool breeze blew across the beach sending the smell of the ocean and salt-water spray toward a lone person sitting on the sand. The man's face was hidden beneath his hair, his body bent forward to rest on his knees. Not a sound was heard coming from the man; the only way one could tell he was alive was the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. The sound of a crashing wave in the distance brought the man out of his reverie and he looked up. Troy scanned the surrounding area for the source of the disturbance, his eyes tired. He didn't look particularly happy, his face scrunched up from some unknown emotion. A single tear made its way down his face as he again buried his face into his knees, blocking the rest of the world out. A few minutes passed as he sat there watching the ocean, the waves breaking on the beach. A shadow fell across the sand in front of him, blocking the light from the full moon. Someone shook him gently on the shoulder, rousing him from his short nap.

"Troy…" They whispered.

His eyes snapped open in an instant though he could see nothing in the darkness. It took a few seconds for him to realize that he was in Sharpay's apartment in New York. A warm weight was lying in the crook of his shoulder. It turned over in its sleep to reveal that Sharpay was sleeping in his arms, the moonlight casting a white glow across her face. She mumbled something incoherent in her sleep before saying his name.

"Troy…" She said before pulling closer to him in an attempt to get warmer. Troy realized that her saying his name had woken him up. He put his arms around her and looked down as a smile crept across her face. He sighed as he remembered what had happened earlier that day.

_Flashback_

"Sharpay!" Troy yelled as he ran into the street. She had been running away from him; out of the park and into the street. A city bus had sounded its horn to signal to her to get out of the way. When she looked up at the bus she fainted, her feet planted firmly in the ground. Troy ran into the street and tackled her to the ground out of the way of the bus. He turned in midair so that she would land on his chest while he took the brunt of the landing on his back. Cars in the other lane screeched to a halt as Troy held onto her tightly, his eyes squinted shut in fear. Honking horns could be heard as Troy slowly opened his eyes. Several people were gathered around them, a man held his hand out to help him off the ground. He quickly accepted the offered hand and brought Sharpay and himself up off the ground. He carried Sharpay out of the street and onto the sidewalk. He walked back toward the park where he set her down on a park bench. Ryan came running up to them, Sharpay's purse in his hands.

"What happened? Where the hell did you run off to? Why is she unconscious?" Ryan asked a myriad of questions quickly leaving no room for an answer.

"Whoa, slow down there Ryan. She's fine. She almost got hit by a bus when she ran away from me. I think she fainted when she saw it coming." Troy said as he tried to catch his breath from the hard sprint he had made to catch up to her.

"I think we should get going. We'll take a cab back to our apartment; maybe she'll wake up by then." Ryan said as Troy picked her up off the bench. They soon caught a cab and went back to the apartments. On the way back, Sharpay began to snore signaling that she was out like a light. Ryan searched through her purse and pulled the new keys out, opening the door and turning on the lights. Troy brought Sharpay into the bedroom and tucked her in gently, kissing her forehead before leaving.

"What a day." He sighed as he slumped into the couch next to Ryan.

"I hear that. Beer?" He handed a bottle to Troy who quickly accepted, downing the entire drink in one gulp.

"Hopefully when she wakes up she won't start screaming at us." Ryan said as he got up off the couch.

"I'm gonna hit the hay. I guess you can sleep out here on the couch." Ryan said as he threw his bottle away before heading off to the other bedroom. As soon as the door closed, he quickly threw away his own bottle and crept into Sharpay's room. He sat on the bed next to her, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. Just listening to her breathe lulled him into sleep. He slipped under the blankets next to her and fell asleep. The door closed as Ryan left for his own room, having seen Troy fall asleep next to his sister.

_The next morning_

Sharpay awoke with a start, not realizing where she was. The first thing she noticed was that she was back in her apartment but she didn't remember how she got there. Slowly the memory of the previous day came back right up until when she ran into the street. The smell of pancakes and coffee wafted into the room and she rolled out of bed to see who was cooking. Ryan was sitting at the small dining table, reading the paper and sipping his coffee. Troy was in the kitchen standing over the stove cooking pancakes.

"Good morning Shar." Ryan said as he slid her a cup of coffee.

"I hope you're hungry." Troy said as he set a plate of pancakes in front of her.

"Thanks Troy." Ryan said as a plate was set in front of him as well. Sharpay just stared at the plate of pancakes with banana slices for eyes and a mouth.

"Umm, thanks Troy." She said as she began to eat. Ryan noticed the awkward silence in the room and got up to look in the fridge.

"Aww, no more orange juice. I'll be back in a flash." He said as he grabbed his wallet and headed down to the corner store. A minute passed in silence as Sharpay poked at the banana slice on her plate.

"I'm really sorry, Sharpay." Troy broke the silence as he reached out and took her free hand. A tear formed in her eye and it slowly fell down the side of her face.

"I don't know anymore Troy. I trusted you and you lied to me." She sniffled.

"Don't cry. I didn't mean for those pictures to be used like that." He used his finger to wipe a tear that was threatening to fall.

"I love you Sharpay. I don't ever want to hurt you." He squeezed her hand gently to let her know that he meant it.

"I don't even know who you are anymore." She pulled her hand away and a few more tears escaped.

"I'm Troy Bolton, 25 years old. I used to be a photographer in L.A. but I quit because they were a bunch of jerks. I live with Gabriella Montez from high school because we can't afford to live apart. We are just friends now and I think that she might be romantically linked to your brother. I like basketball and fried food but I don't like seafood. I met this girl at the airport who I am in love with." Troy told her everything that she needed to know about him as if it were a first date.

"I hate it when I see you crying and I hate it even more that I know I caused it. At least be mad at me because that's better than you being sad." She tried to fight a smile when she heard this but was only mildly successful.

"You ruined my reputation, Bolton." She said with teary eyes and a half smile on her face. She soon broke into laughter, the ridiculousness of the situation catching up to her. Troy laughed with her for a minute before they both calmed enough to speak again.

"I made you banana pancakes. You hardly touched them." Troy stated. Sharpay looked down on the plate and sure enough she had only taken one bite. She picked up the entire thing and quickly stuffed one into his mouth without warning. She laughed at him as he struggled to chew and swallow the entire thing.

"You're supposed to eat them like this." She said while cutting off a piece and putting it in her mouth. He swallowed roughly and took a sip of his coffee to wash it down.

"Thanks for the tip." He coughed as she took another dainty bite of the pancake.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Your mouth is so big I thought it would fit." She giggled. Troy moved over next to her and placed a soft kiss on her nose. She frowned at him before moving in to kiss him on the lips. He didn't complain as she deepened the kiss, forgetting about breakfast.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" Troy asked when they broke apart.

"Maybe." She said playfully before kissing him again.

"And time!" Ryan yelled as he slammed the door closed. He stopped his watch to show that he had made the trip in five minutes forty-one seconds.

"And it's a new record!" He exclaimed as he walked over to the table. Only then did he realize that Sharpay and Troy were quite busy at the moment. Shrugging to himself, he poured a glass of orange juice and moved to the couch to give them some privacy.

_A/N: Chapters have been getting shorter because of a lack of good ideas. I've started the brainstorming for my next fic and actually have the first few chapters planned out. I should start writing that one soon if I'm not to lazy. Peace out._


	12. Everything Sucks

Intermission: Everything Sucks

_A/N: Ok, I lied. Again. Sorry. Seriously, this chapter totally sucks and I feel like I rushed it. This is #1 on my redo list. Anyway, expect the story to end very soon as my attention swings over to my new fic._

The rest of the day was spent indoors as Troy and Sharpay hung around the apartment lazily. After all of the drama from the past couple of days, they decided that they needed some rest and relaxation. After their talk at the breakfast table, they moved the conversation over to the couch where their minds rotted while watching TV. Around noon, Sharpay had fallen asleep while watching a soccer game with Troy. She was lightly snoring as she used Troy's chest as a pillow, though it wouldn't stay still because of his pesky breathing. Ryan decided as her manager that this was a vacation day and sat in front of the TV as well.

"I am so bored. I wish we had something to do." Ryan complained from his seat on the floor. He got up to stretch the cramp that was developing in his leg. Troy shifted his weight on the couch, trying not to wake up Sharpay who mumbled something in her sleep.

"There's nothing much that we could do around here. Help me move Sharpay, my arm is asleep." Ryan held up his sister while Troy slid out from under her. They both gently moved her back onto the couch, careful not to drop her.

"I wish Gabriella were here, when she's around it's never boring." Ryan said as Troy tried to work the blood back into his arm. They both looked at each other in shock after they realized what they had done.

"Oh crap! We didn't tell Gabi that we were leaving!" They both exclaimed as the telephone started ringing. Jumping over the couch, Troy picked up the phone nervously. He already knew who was calling by the angry way that the phone was ringing.

"Uhh, hey Gabi. Sorry, but I didn't have time to leave you a note. I guess since you're calling here you found Sharpay's note." Troy nervously started speaking before she even had a chance to speak.

"What's up with this Troy! First you quit your job and then you hop the first plane to New York to chase down Sharpay and you don't even leave a note!" Troy cringed as she yelled at him over the phone. Ryan also closed his eyes at the verbal abuse that Gabi was spitting at Troy over the phone; she was that loud.

"Even worse, you left me here with Doug and he hasn't shut up for the past six hours." Troy laughed to himself as he heard Doug singing a Backstreet Boys song in the background.

"Hey get down from there!" Gabi yelled at Doug as he started to jump on the couch. The singing abruptly stopped as a crash was heard on the phone and then a loud rustling could be heard.

"Gabi, what happened? Are you okay?" Troy asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Yeah, I'm just fine. Doug dive bombed me from the couch. I think he might be drunk because he knocked himself out. Hey don't touch that!" Gabi giggled as all the anger faded from her voice.

"What happened now?" Troy asked as more giggling could be heard.

"He's not drunk he's just really horny. Get home quick before something bad happens." Gabi shut the phone off and pushed Doug away from her.

"That will probably get him to come home faster." Doug said as he straightened himself up and fixed the couch.

"You mean that was all an act?" Gabi asked, bewildered at the sudden change in character. Doug just winked at her and went to the fridge.

"Everything except the really horny part. Come on Gabi, we're kind of friends. What do you say?" Doug asked her hopefully.

"Whatever Doug." She rolled her eyes at him as she went into the bedroom, Doug following close behind.

_Back in New York_

"Guess we better start heading for L.A." Troy said as Ryan paced the living room.

"Your doofy friend better not be feeling Gabi up." Ryan said as Troy went to wake Sharpay up.

"Don't worry. Gabi hasn't slept with another guy for…three months. Okay maybe we should worry." Troy gently shook Sharpay's shoulder and she blinked her eyes open slowly.

"Hey sleeping beauty. We better start heading back to L.A. We are both unemployed now and that totally sucks." Sharpay rubbed at her eyes and walked to the bedroom to pack.

"Yeah, I just realized that you guys are unemployed. What the hell are you going to do for work since you both quit your jobs." Ryan asked as he too started to pack his things.

"Well hopefully Sharpay can still have a part in the movie. Don't worry about me. I'll find a job somewhere." An hour later they were ready to go and left the apartment for the airport. Catching the first available flight, they all slept on the plane with the same thought on their minds.

"We don't have jobs and we're nearly broke. Damn, everything sucks!"

_A/N: Really short but the next chapter should be better. A couple days ago I got like 5 reviews from 1 guy. In 1 day. That's what I like to see. So, to Dragonskin Fool. Hats off to ya. I'm not going to beg for reviews but just do it. Even if its to say that you hate me. Do it. I dare you._


	13. All Downhill from Here

Chapter 10: All Downhill from Here

_A/N: Sorry, but I had a really bad case of writer's block. I don't know where this story is going anymore. My mind just thinks it and my fingers follow. So if you have suggestions about where this story can go, you are very welcome._

The plane ride back to Los Angeles went without incident although Ryan was forced to sit next to a large man that wouldn't shut up during the movie. Sharpay slept through the flight, her head resting on Troy's shoulder. She awoke when Troy shook her shoulder to tell her that they would be landing soon. She looked around bleary eyed for a minute until her eyes focused on the person sitting next to her. Troy bent his head and placed a soft kiss on her lips. His kisses seemed to wake her up and the kiss intensified.

"Hot towel?" The tow quickly broke apart and turned their heads towards the interruption. A stewardess stood there with a tray of hot towels in her hands. Troy plucked two off of the tray and handed one to Sharpay. The stewardess left then and walked back to the rear of the aircraft. She was stopped a few rows down by Ryan.

"Thanks for stopping them. We wouldn't ant anything bad happening right?" The stewardess just winked at him and continued her round down the aisle. A half an hour later found the three walking off of the plane toward the pickup area. They had called Gabi earlier to tell her what time to pick them up. She pulled up to the curb in Troy's Acura Integra and put the car in park.

"Doug, are you going to move?" Gabi asked her friend as he played with the radio, looking for a good station. Growing impatient, she clicked the radio off and poked him in the chest.

"Get out there and find them so we don't get chased away by airport security. You know they don't want us sitting here for too long." With that she poked him one last time in the chest and he got up out of the car. Once outside, he signaled for her to roll the window down which she did.

"If I find them in the next five minutes, you have to go out with me." Doug said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh grow up already, Doug." She rolled the windows up and pointed in the direction of the growing crowd. Seven minutes later, Doug returned with Sharpay and Ryan. Troy was behind them, pulling Sharpay's suitcase along.

"Seven minutes. Huh, too bad." Gabi stuck her tongue out at Doug as he helped Troy put the suitcase into the trunk.

"What is she talking about man?" Troy asked Doug as he closed the trunk.

"Never mind, just get in." He said angrily. Gabriella jumped out of the car and circled around quickly to bring Sharpay into a hug.

"Oh, Sharpay! Don't ever leave again. Then Troy would have to follow and so would Ryan and then I would be stuck here with Doug again." Sharpay gave Doug a glare.

"What did you do to her? If you touched a hair on her head I swear I…" She was cut off by Ryan who put his hand over her mouth.

"Ok, calm down. You're making a scene." Troy opened the door for Sharpay but she stood her ground and stared back at him.

"What? Is there something on my shirt?" He asked as he checked around his body for a stain.

"You don't expect me to sit in the back seat do you?" She tapped her foot impatiently as Troy, Ryan, and Doug climbed into the very small backseat of the 2-door hatchback. Sharpay smiled at them as she moved the front seat back into place and stepped into the car. Gabi got in on the driver's side and started up the car.

"Where to first guys?" She asked all of the occupants of the car as she turned on her turn signal and pulled onto the street.

"Oh, my place so I can take a shower. I feel all gross from the airplane and all that recycled air." Sharpay looked back at the three guys, daring them to suggest anywhere else. They all turned their heads and looked to the roof, pretending to whistle. Sharpay smiled to herself and quickly lost herself in a conversation with Gabriella about cute boys. It was high school all over again.

"After I hung up the phone, Doug followed me into the bedroom and tried to get me to sleep with him." Gabi explained to Sharpay. Everyone in the car turned to face Doug with a scowl on their face.

"What! She's attractive so sue me!" Doug defended himself. Sharpay and Gabriella both stuck their tongues out at Doug and blew raspberries.

"Don't stick your tongue out unless you intend to use it." Doug snapped at them. They both quickly turned around, pulling their tongues back into their mouths.

_Sharpay's Condo_

The group decided on Gabi's Café for a brainstorming session about what to do about their lack of jobs. It was a little after 8:00 when the group got settled into a large booth to the side of the main counter.

"Hopefully Sharpay can still have that part in the movie. I left a message on Zack's machine to let him know that she was still interested but that was yesterday." Ryan explained to the group. Just then Ryan's phone began to ring and he pulled it out, checking the number that flashed on the display.

"Speak of the devil." He flipped his phone open and put it to his ear, a hand going up to cover his other ear so that he could hear better.

"Zack! My man! You got my message? Of course she's still interested. Uh huh. It was a momentary lapse in judgment I believe." Everyone rolled their eyes as they listened to the one sided conversation.

"Here, he wants to talk to you." Ryan said as he handed her the phone. She put it up to her ear and took a deep breath, preparing her voice.

"Shari!"

"Zackie!" They both greeted each other mock cheerfully.

"I hear you still want that spot in the movie. Is this true?" It was a rhetorical question; Ryan had already told him that she wanted the part.

"Of course you big silly."

"You're in luck because I think the studio really wants you back as well. One look at your replacements and they were begging me to get you back. It seems that you left a really good impression on the suits upstairs." Mentally, she was jumping up and down and doing cartwheels, screaming her head off in happiness. On the outside she only broke a smile and she answered calmly.

"Thanks Zack. What would I do without you?"

"Hey, hey. You're the best baby. I'm gonna take you straight to the top!" He exclaimed before hanging up. Sharpay calmly closed the phone and handed it back to Ryan.

"Well that solves my problem. I'm back in!" She immediately got up and started dancing around the table, Gabi jumping up and joining her.

"Ok, Sharpay and Ryan have jobs now. What about me? I'm pretty much a homeless man already." Troy groaned as Sharpay and Gabi returned to their seats.

"You could always just be a glorified secretary. Work for Sharpay as her personal assistant." Ryan suggested to Troy. He gave him an odd look before answering.

"She already has one. That's your job." He pointed out to Ryan. Ryan thought about what he did for Sharpay on a daily basis and suddenly turned to her.

"Hey I am your secretary. You don't even pay me for half the things I do for you." He said indignantly.

"Ryan, you're my brother and my manager. Of course you're my secretary, it's because you love me." She gave him a hug and he smiled at her.

"All right, you don't have to pay me." He smiled.

"Hey you can be a stay at home dad." Gabi suggested.

"Yeah you can just let Sharpay make the money and you can take care of the kids at home." Everyone looked at Gabriella oddly again. Where was she getting these ideas?

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself, Gabi. First, we're not married yet so I can't possibly be a stay at home dad. Second, we don't have kids. Third…" He was cut off by Sharpay's pointed look that was centered on him.

"Yet? Is there something you wanted to tell me Troy?" He went over what he had just said in his head and quickly shut his mouth.

"Uhh, never mind anything I just said." He stuttered as a blush crept onto his cheeks.

"Right, you guys are just going in circles." Doug spoke for the first time since they left the airport.

"What do you suggest, oh genius man." Gabi mocked him as he looked down at the table.

"Hey, I quit my job there too. I didn't like Al either; he was such an ass about everything. Anyway, after I quit I decided I would pursue my lifelong dream." Everyone stared at him as they waited for him to reveal his dream. Doug sipped his coffee before answering.

"What?" Everyone groaned at his lack of attention.

"You were going to tell us your lifelong dream." Troy bluntly stated.

"Right. I'm going to open a restaurant. Doug's Hawaiian Plate Lunch. That's what I would call it. Serving up local style plate lunch. It's a niche market." Gabi and Sharpay rolled their eyes while Troy sat up straight, intrigued by the idea.

"That's not a bad idea. Are you looking for a co-owner?" Troy asked him as Doug sipped his coffee again.

"D & T Drive In. Smooth." Doug stoked his chin in thought.

"What's the D and T stand for?" Ryan asked, still struggling to put two and two together.

"Our names, what else. Man sometimes I wonder…" Doug trailed off as he thought about how Ryan could be so slow.

"So we're gonna start a restaurant?" Troy asked him.

"I guess so. We'll need to find a building and then we need to get some loans and leases so that we can get this business off the ground." Doug continued to rattle off a number of other things that they needed to do before they could open the restaurant.

"You guys can move in next door. The tenant is leaving and I was thinking of expanding my shop." Gabi suggested.

"That's a great idea Gabi. Things are looking up finally." Troy said as his thought drifted to the future.

_A/N: D&T drive in is taken from L&L drive in. It's a local chain of restaurants that has expanded operations to California and Oregon. If you live there, look them up. The food is the bomb. Hoo ono. Anyway, leave reviews and peace out._


	14. In the End

In the End

This is not a chapter this is an announcement.

The previous chapter was the last chapter in the story. I decided to end it there and hopefully nobody is too mad at me about it. There is a sequel in the works and I have the first 3 chapters outlined. It is tentatively titled "the status quo" and it deals with Troy and Sharpay's relationship six months in the future. I don't know how far I'll go with this story so let me know. I don't want to waste my time so I need at lest twenty (20) people that want this to happen. If there aren't enough people, this story will go on the backburner and might happen if I get bored. Anyway, I'm sorry if anyone was waiting for a new chapter. Peace out.


End file.
